I have been in the parenting space for some time now providing education for the four institutions that are involved in parenting.

I have come to the irresistible conclusion that the first issue we need to deal with is our belief system about children, which creates our culture. 

As I have always said, we treat children the way we see them, we see them the way we were seen growing up.

By our culture we are not anti-children but we are not deliberately pro-children. We believe that what qualifies us to play any role is the life of the child is our position in his/her life and not our knowledge, skills and attitude.

I think that for parenting to be worth its efforts, we must RETHINK same.

The call for a RETHINK is a call for a Counter-Culture, which as matter of supreme urgency must become so strong to supplant the present culture.

In the year 2017, I was privileged to be invited by Google and Facebook to speak at the Europe Middle East and Africa Child Safety Summit, which held in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Our project, Securing A FRIENDLY and PROTECTIVE Environment™ for Children was showcased to practitioners to pick a lessons or two from in terms of Social Empowerment Advocacy.

It was at that meeting that I met Sameer Hinduja, Co-Director, Cyberbullying Research Center, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida Atlantic University.

He said to me having shared my presentation at the summit with him and it has become instructive: ‘I applaud what you are doing and I agree with your perspective on
African children…It is probably going to be hard to change such
ensconced mentalities – just like in my home country of India, it’s
very hard to change belief patterns because they are embedded in
culture and also in religion.  BUT – someone has to try.  Someone will
make progress.  It is time.  And at the very least, those after us can
build on our current work to finally achieve breakthrough.  So our
efforts are never wasted – not even a bit.’

On Saturday, February 29, 2020, we will be pushing the frontiers of this Counter-Culture again as we discuss, PARENTING ACCORDINGLY TO SOCIAL PROTECTION.

Please register here right NOW https://bit.ly/2TOm989 and kindly share within your areas of influence.

The program is FREE but REGISTRATION is COMPULSORY.

Thank you and do have an INSPIRED day.

Yours IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PRECIOUS AFRICAN CHILD,

Taiwo AKINLAMI